National Republican., 1887-08-01
bourbon Democracy Doomed.

Tie first great resul; OF the war Of the
rebellion was tho freedom Of the negro
Iace, sud the second was the comforting or
the ballot ou a newly lYentranchised race that
through the ballot they might maintain
tAcir freedom and the rights which the Law
conferred on them. The states engaged IN
the rebellion were rehabil!tated with all the
power they held before their attempt TO
destroy the Union, the one restriction
being that they should not deprive the
negro Of the ballot by any legal enact
mtnt.
The result of these euactments was the
addition of thirty-eight votes In the electoral
cole ge and q similar number in the House
OF Representatives of Congress to the
stIergth Of the late slaveholding states.
But the untutored negroes, recently emSn.
cipated from slavery themselves, and
descended through generations from race
OF slaves, were not, even with the ballots in
their hands, able to contend in the politica
arena with their former masters.
AS matter Of course the negroes, almoS
to man, when they became voters affiliated
with the Republican party-the party that
lad secured them first their free lon and
then citizenship. IT was not race prejudice
20 much as 1t was the hate engendered
war that made most of the men in the south
Democrats, and thus 1t was that In most
the southern states, where were large mum
hers Of negroes, the two races were found
opposing each other IN almost solid masses.
While 1t was perfectly natural for the
ignorant negro to unite with the party to
which he was so much indebted, 1t was an
unnatural prejudice which pu5 the educ cited
white men solldly into the Democratic
party without consideration of the results
or the principles upon which the parties
were divided. But it was done.
It required no prophet to foretell the in
eyitable result OF contest where intelll-
gerce, property, force, aud skill were
uuitCd against ignorance, poverty, and
weakness. By means that are reflective
upon the manhood Of the white race the
negro vote IN all the states where 1t Is at all
large has been suppressed ani the white
Democrat of the states where this was done
secured for himself double power, both IN
the legislative aud executive control OF the
country.
Once in power the Bourbon leaders, who
held the relns over both whites aud blacka,
maintained themselves by stimulating race
prCludces aud a pretended fear of negrl
rulc, aud finally, through the double voting
power they exercised, succeeded in electlng
o Democratic President by forms Of law.
That President knew the facts, and he
knew that his party could not retain power
thus obtained, and he endoavored to secure
division OF the colored vote, which would
be surely followed bya similar division OF
the white vote.
The NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, with full
knowledge that the negro vote was practl,
cally solidly Republican and would remain
so, suggested that the Democrats OF the
south seek q division Of the negro vote
and IT, as representative Republican news
paper and the friend of the oolored race
advised them to divide on economic ques
tions, discarding all sentiment.
Distinguished leaders of the Republican
party united with the NATIONAL REPUBLG-
CAN in affirming this advice, and few Of